Beware of Open Doors
by Emirael
Summary: Anna is excited for coronation day and hoping she might find True Love when she literally runs into the charming Princess Hansele of the Southern Isles. The forward woman's advances and their quickly-changing relationship spark plenty of questions for Anna, however: about her sexuality, about romantic love, and, quite possibly, about how those two might relate to her sister. Icest.
1. Chapter 1

Inspired by the following headcanon requesting "a complex detailed girl!hans frozen au where she has to go befriend anna but decides to seduce her instead to get the kingdom which leads to a whirlwind of sexuality questioning for both anna and elsa and a big feelings reveal at the end with minimal angst is that too much to ask for" from elsannaheadcanons on tumblr.

Chapter 1 was originally a one-shot, but responses were positive so I kept going. I update at least once a week.

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Anna felt as if she might take off into flight as she ran along the docks. The gates were finally open and everything was going to be magical and amazing. Every step she took felt like a step closer to freedom.

Until Anna ran into the horse.

She released an embarrassing, high-pitched noise at the impact, which knocked her sideways. Arms flailing, she tried to regain her balance as she fell backward into a boat. A bucket fell on her head as her back struck the seat painfully, and she felt the boat begin to tip back into the harbor when a sudden impact steadied it.

"Hey!" Anna gripped the boat and lifted the bucket off her head. The horse she'd hit had slammed its hoof into the boat, she realized, eyes trailing upward. When her gaze reached the rider, she felt her expression soften slightly.

"I'm so sorry," said the woman seated on the horse. "Are you hurt?"

Anna blinked. The woman had reddish-brown hair, trimmed short almost like a man's. On anyone else, she might have found such a cut unflattering, but it looked feminine and stylish on the well-dressed rider. Her white coat was similar to a man's, but cut to highlight the lady's curves.

"Hey," Anna said again, finding her voice had softened. "I-yeah, no. I'm okay." Heat rose in her cheeks.

"Are you sure," the rider asked, concern stretching her full lips into a frown.

Anna nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I just wasn't looking where I was going. But I'm okay." She smiled and hoped the beautiful rider didn't think too badly of her.

The woman began to dismount, revealing a pair of black breeches that hugged her thighs. Anna felt herself flush a deeper shade of red as her eyes followed the blue stripe down the side of the woman's legs.

"I'm great, actually," she said. She was rambling, but she couldn't quite help it. Anna was certain she, herself, had never looked so fantastically regal while descending a horse.

The stranger smiled. "Oh, thank goodness," she said, voice smooth as she held out a hand to help her up.

Anna reached out and took the hand automatically. Her eyes rose to meet a pair of lovely green ones, and Anna smiled back as the woman helped pull her to her feet.

Letting go of her hand after a pause, the stranger stepped back and bowed. "Princess Hansele of the Southern Isles."

Anna curtsied. "Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"Princess…?" Hansele looked surprised for a moment. "My Lady." She dropped to one knee and bowed her head.

Anna was about to comment that, as they were both princesses, the short-haired woman didn't need to bow so deeply. Then the other woman's horse bowed too, and the boat began to tip backward once more.

Once again, Anna's back crashed into the seat. Princess Hansele tumbled forward and fell on top of her. The older woman's face and body suddenly very close to hers, Anna smiled awkwardly.

"Hi again," she said.

The other princess seemed too surprised to smile back, but before they tipped into the harbor, the (now familiar) jolt of the horse's hoof slammed the boat once more. Anna found herself falling forward, and then she was lying on top of Hansele.

A light red on her cheeks made the woman's green eyes stand out even more. "Oh boy," she said.

Anna half-laughed and started to get up. "This is awkward." She could feel herself rambling, but couldn't stop herself. "Not you're awkward, but just because we're—I'm awkward. You're gorgeous." A beat passed as Anna realized what she'd said and found herself looking right at Hansele, who seemed to almost smirk for a second. Too mortified to say anything else, Anna froze halfway through getting up. She wasn't certain where that last confession had come from, but it was causing a bright blush across her cheeks.

Thankfully, Hansele managed to extricate herself quickly. As she rose, she put gloved hands on Anna's elbow and waist and helped her up. "I'd like to formally apologize," she said, "for hitting the Princess of Arendelle with my horse." Here she winced slightly. "And for every moment after."

Anna mentally thanked every god she knew for Hansele not mentioning her awkward slip. "No, no, it's fine!" she said, patting the other woman's upper arm. "I'm not _that_ Princess. I mean, if you'd hit my sister, Elsa, that would be-" and here Anna wasn't certain what she was trying to communicate. She wasn't actually certain how Elsa would react if she was knocked over by a beautiful woman on a horse. "Yeesh! 'Cause, you know…"

Anna stepped out of the boat and pat the horse. "Hello." A glance back at Hansele revealed that she seemed to be waiting for Anna to finish saying what would have happened with Elsa. "But, lucky you," she continued, "it's-um-it's just me." She felt a stray hair slip out and quickly tucked it behind her ear with a smile.

Hansele smiled back. "Just you?" With a careless hand, she flicked back a lock of hair hair that had fallen out of place in their tumbling. Anna found herself suddenly conscious of how perfectly the older princess pulled off her effortless look. She'd heard that women of the Southern Isles favored shorter hairstyles, but seeing Hansele in person was an entirely different experience. For a moment, she was so caught up staring that she didn't hear the bells tolling.

"The bells." Anna realized, after a moment. "The coronation. I-I I better go. I have to… I better go." She turned and started a not-quite dignified run back to the castle.

"I'll see you later," Hansele called after her. Something in her tone made the common farewell sound like a romantic promise.

Fighting a blush, Anna turned back and waved. "Y-yes. Bye!"

She turned and tried to resume a more sophisticated, but still brisk, pace without looking to see if Hans waved back. Her cheeks were burning too much for her to trust herself to spend one more moment gazing at the beautiful woman, and something in her stomach rolled with nervousness.

She'd spent years reading, sometimes spying on Gerda to see which books Elsa requested brought to her room so she could read them later and be "with" her sister in some way. However, references to women loving one another romantically had been absent in all but the most ancient texts.

Slipping back in the (gloriously open!) gates, Anna couldn't help the feeling that the concept wasn't necessarily isolated to the old books she wasn't certain she had translated right.


	2. Chapter 2

Anna peeked around the ballroom's curtain, looking out at the crowd of people mingling about. She started to tell herself that she wasn't trying to catch a glimpse of Princess Hansele amongst the crowd, but couldn't quite manage it. The Southern Isles' princess had waved to her briefly before the coronation ceremony and had apparently changed out her stylish riding outfit for a more formal ensemble, though Anna had only caught a brief glimpse before refocusing on her sister.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Kai announced.

Anna stared as her sister walked out. She'd seemed nervous and almost fidget-y in the chapel. Anna had thought she'd seen her hands shake when she took off her gloves, but as Elsa glided into the ballroom, she embodied poise.

"Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

She startled slightly when she realized Kai was announcing her entrance and hurried out into the ballroom. She waved a little at the full room before wondering if it was appropriate to do so. Then Kai pushed her several paces over, so she was standing right next to Elsa.

"Here?" Anna tried to whisper at Kai's retreating form. "Are you sure?"

He either didn't hear her or didn't respond, and as the music resumed, Anna relaxed slightly. She was about to scan the room for Hansele again when she noticed Elsa shift out of the corner of her eye. She turned slightly to see her sister better and, for a moment, it seemed like Elsa might be looking at her too.

"Hi," Elsa said.

Anna turned toward her older sister. "Hi me…?" Elsa had turned toward her as well, and was obviously speaking directly to her. "Oh, um. Hi, Elsa."

Elsa smiled, and Anna felt giddy. It wasn't just the content almost-smile she'd worn since the coronation itself finished, it looked like a genuine I-am-happy-to-see-Anna smile.

"You look beautiful," Elsa said.

"Thank you!" She blurted, face coloring. Anna was certain if she kept blushing at the rate she'd maintained today that her face would stay that way. "You look beautifuller!" Elsa cocked an eyebrow, and Anna resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. She felt incapable of forming coherent sentences around pretty girls that day. "I mean, not fuller. You don't look fuller, but more beautiful."

She wasn't certain if her rambling had fixed her slip or properly communicated to her sister that, however Anna looked that evening, Elsa looked far better, but Elsa just smiled a little wider and said, "Thank you, Anna."

Realizing that she might be staring, and that as much as she could have spent the evening just seeing Elsa after so long without her, Anna turned back out to look over the ballroom. She noticed Elsa shift to do the same, and just being able to casually participate in the same mundane activity as her sister (beside her sister!) felt like the greatest gift in the world.

"I suppose this is what a party looks like, then," Elsa said.

With a pang, Anna recalled that the last party she'd attended with her sister had been Elsa's 8th birthday party. It had been an intimate, but wonderful affair with just them and their parents. For a reason Anna couldn't remember, it had been very chilly, despite being indoors.

"It's warmer than I thought," she said, mind drifting back to that last happy birthday party. There had been cake, and their whole family had romped around and played together. Elsa had made… something (maybe a paper crown?) and set it on their father's head. She and Elsa had balled up pieces of paper and thrown them at one another. Despite Anna's best 5-year-old efforts, Elsa had won.

Thankfully unaware of Anna's foray into reminiscence, Elsa continued talking. "And what is that amazing smell?"

Curious, Anna inhaled deeply and heard Elsa do the same. Opening her eyes and smiling a moment later, she said, "Chocolate," and realized that Elsa had done the same.

They laughed together and Anna looked back at Elsa, who was looking back at her. Anna wasn't certain what to say; there was too much to catch up on.

"Chocolate in Arendelle is primarily imported from Spain," Elsa suddenly rambled, blushing slightly and reminding Anna of herself. "Spain," she continued, "acquires most of its unrefined chocolate from—"

"Venezuela!" Anna interjected. "Where half the chocolate in the world comes from."

Elsa blinked at her. "Yes," she said, looking surprised. "But how did you…?"

Anna beamed. "That book on the history of chocolate you had Gerda fetch last year."

Her sister's pale complexion colored with a blush, and Anna suddenly worried that she'd been too weird confessing that she'd read the book because Elsa had, and that she'd kept tabs on Elsa's reading habits. Her sister didn't seem upset or put off, however, and her confusion had morphed into a smile. Her cheeks remained pink, however, and Anna thought it was adorable.

Elsa had opened her mouth to say something when Kai interrupted with an announcement. "Your Majesty. The Duke of Weaseltown."

"Weselton. The Duke of Weselton," corrected the short man. Then he turned to Elsa. "Your Majesty, as your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen."

Anna resisted the urge to frown with distaste at the idea of him dancing with her sister. Thankfully, as he began to flitter his feet and bounce about for several moments, she found her irritation eclipsed by amusement. She failed to hold back a giggle as the duke's toupee dipped forward. A quick glance at Elsa revealed that she was restraining her own laughter with better success than Anna.

"Thank you," Elsa said with more grace than Anna would have been able to manage. "Only, I don't dance."

The duke seemed offended as leaned forward. "Oh…?"

She worried he might push the issue, but before he could, Elsa added, "But my sister does."

"What?" Anna looked at Elsa in shock and betrayal.

"Lucky you," the duke declared as he took Anna's arm.

He'd began to yank her away from Elsa even as she protested, "Oh, I don't think—"

As the duke said something about catching her if she swooned, Anna looked back at Elsa desperately and was barely able to hear her sister whisper, "Sorry."

Before the duke began what he seemed to think was "dancing," Anna glanced back at Elsa and wondered how her sister had known she danced.


	3. Chapter 3

Anna limped back to Elsa and winced as the duke asked her to let him know when she was ready for another round of dancing. She couldn't decide whether or not to smile or glare at her sister as Elsa glanced over with amusement.

"Well, he was sprightly," she said.

Anna winced. "Especially for a man in heels." His dancing had been torturous to witness, let alone participate in. She'd briefly caught a glance of Hansele (who had been dancing with some far luckier person than Anna), but only enough to flash the beautiful woman a harried smile before the duke yanked her away.

Then her sister leaned closer and all thoughts of the woman with short auburn hair vanished. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Her cheeks flushed as Elsa's blue eyes trailed down her body and checked for any legitimate injuries that might have resulted from the hazardous dancing. Despite her unfortunate first dance partner, Anna smiled and gushed, "I've never been better," and found it to be true. "This is so nice. Not the duke's dancing, but just being here." She gestured to the happy ballroom crowd. "There are people laughing and twirling and there's so much chocolate and—and," Anna took a deep breath and looked into Elsa's eyes. "And I'm with you. I wish it could be like this all the time."

Elsa's smile was open and genuine in a way Anna had forgotten existed. "Me too…" she breathed.

Then she stiffened and straightened up. "But it can't," she said. Anna hadn't noticed how closely Elsa had been leaning toward her until her sister pulled away.

"Why not? If—"

"It just can't," Elsa said, looking away from her.

Anna felt her smile dissolve. Her voice sounded hollow, as if echoing from far away, as she said, "Excuse me for a minute."

There were ways to exit the ballroom in the back, but once she started walking away from Elsa, she had no desire to double back and use one of them. Instead, she tried to weave through the dancers and party-goers. This began to prove more difficult than she'd imagined, and despite her best efforts (and the fact that several people recognized her as Arendelle's princess and moved out of her way) someone bumped into her when she was about halfway across the room. She was waiting for the impact of floor when she landed in a pair of strong, slender arms.

"Glad I caught you," said a smooth, feminine voice.

Anna blinked up at a pair of brilliant green eyes and smiled. "Hansele!"

"I did say that I would see you later," she replied. The older woman lifted Anna to her feet gracefully, then set her drink on a passing servant's tray. "Are you okay?" she asked, her gaze washing over Anna with the same question Elsa had asked and almost the same look.

Anna wasn't even certain how Hansele had caught her without spilling the glass, or why her cheeks had flushed once more. "Y-yes," she stammered. "I mean, as well as can be expected, considering—" She bit back what she was about to say about her sister. "Considering how close I got to the floor!" Hansele suddenly looked concerned, and her eyes trailed down Anna's body once more, double-checking for injury as she straightened out her jacket, which was similar to the one she'd worn earlier: somewhat masculine, but tailored tightly to her curves.

"Not that you didn't do a wonderful job catching me," Anna rambled on, looking at a spot over Hansele's shoulder so she didn't blush at the slow once-over look the other woman was giving her. "Without you, that obviously would have been much, much worse."

Anna felt a hand at her hip and nearly jumped before she realized it belonged to Hansele, who began to steer her over to the side of the ballroom. "Um, why are we, er, where are we…?"

"You seem slightly disoriented," Hansele answered. "I wanted to make certain you were okay." She winked and smiled down at her. "And maybe see about spending a little more time with you."

"Oh," Anna said faintly as they neared a chaise lounge along the edge of the room. "Okay."

Hansele kept her hand at Anna's hip as they sat down and her fingers seemed to linger there several moments longer before the other woman withdrew her hand to her lap. "So, Anna, you really are okay after your near-fall? You seemed rather distracted as you crossed the room."

Anna nodded. "You caught me—thank you by the way!—and I'm fine, really." She did not want to weird out her new friend by getting into the disaster that was her nonexistent relationship with her sister.

Hansele smiled and squeezed her bare shoulder. "I'm glad you're well," she said, gloved hand lingering another moment or two before she leaned back slightly and rested her arm on the back of the chaise. "I was worried for your survival and general health when I saw you with your first dance partner."

Wincing, Anna laughed. "It was a harrowing experience, particularly for my feet, but I'm tougher than I look." She lightly punched Hansele's upper arm. "I'm a hard girl to kill."

"I will be certain not to underestimate you then," Hansele said gravely. "Particularly," she added with a smirk. "on the dance floor."

Anna beamed back. "Good! I hardly think my feet would be in the same sort of danger if I danced with you. I barely saw you earlier, but I'm sure you're better than the duke, not as if that's hard." She felt her face heating up, and Hansele's shoulders seemed to be shaking with mirth. "Er, not that you're just a step better than torturous, but that I think you would be a legitimately good dance partner! Better than Elsa, certainly, because she doesn't dance at all, but wait, no, I mean that—"

The older princess placed a gloved fingertip over her lips to silence her and Anna wasn't certain whether to be grateful or mortified.

"I've been told I'm a gifted dancer," Hansele said softly, "but I'd rather you came to an assessment of my skills on your own."

"P-pardon?" Anna stammered as the other princess moved her fingertip from Anna's lips and placed her hand on her shoulder instead.

"Dance with me," Hansele said, standing up. Her dress spun around her legs as she tugged on Anna's shoulder for her to stand up. Anna had to admit that, while she thought the sight of the other woman in her riding breeches had been quite nice, that the other princess could pull off a dress with those tailored jackets quite well indeed.

And while Anna couldn't decide whether Hansele looked better in a dress or breeches, she was certain of her blush as she looked away. "But, um. We're both girls, Princess Hansele."

With a frown, the other woman sat down beside her again, keeping the hand on her shoulder. "Is that an issue in Arendelle, Anna?"

She fought the urge to fidget. "There aren't any rules about it, per say, but, I mean, aside from lessons or play, I didn't think it was, um, a done thing. At least not for a formal party." Anna couldn't quite hold back an awkward shrug. "Who would lead, anyway?"

"Well," said Hansele, gazing out onto the dance floor, "in the Southern Isles, it's perfectly acceptable for women to dance with other women, and men with men, at various social events. Being able to switch between leading and following is also encouraged: it shows that you're versatile and capable of adapting.

"Dancing with your friends is also a good way of attracting a romantic interest," she said, almost as an afterthought. Anna blushed, uncertain whether she meant the romantic interest to be the dance partner or an observer. Then Hansele turned back to Anna and smiled. "I would be happy to lead, Princess Anna."

Dancing with Hansele sounded wonderful—lovely in ways Anna didn't have time to process in the moment—and it must have shown on her face because Hansele took her hands and pulled them close to her. "There's nothing wrong with two women together, Anna."

In an instant, pages of old books with older legends about invincible women warrior-lovers flashed through her mind—books she'd laboriously translated because Elsa had requested them—and before Anna properly returned her focus to her beet-red face and the conversation with Hansele, the older woman had pulled her to her feet and was guiding her gently toward the dance floor.

"I'm quite interested in how well you can dance with a suitable partner," Hansele said over her shoulder. "And I was quite serious about wanting your own assessment of my skills."

Her nervousness spilled over into excitement as she and the other princess reached the dance floor and Anna found herself smiling. "Then let's do it!" she said.

"Are you ready?" Hansele whispered, green eyes flashing.

To the left of her dance partner's shoulder, Anna could see Elsa looking right at them. Her sister was frowning but, after a moment, her gaze seemed to move away. "I was born ready," Anna said, eyes returning to the princess in front of her.


	4. Chapter 4

As Anna began her dance with Hansele, she found herself absorbed in focus. She'd never danced outside of her lessons before (the Duke of Weaseltown didn't count) and she grinned as they made their way through practiced steps. Having a partner was exhilarating, and one dance flowed into another as Anna relaxed into their rhythm. Hansele moved with her perfectly, in time with Anna's every step as her green eyes twinkled.

Then the older woman winked one green eye and Anna's breath hitched. She hadn't noticed Hansele was wearing golden eyeshadow, but it set off her eyes perfectly. Anna hadn't considered how attractive eyeshadow could look on a girl before. Elsa had been wearing some too, however. She caught a glance of her sister the next time Hans spun her around. Even the briefest view was enough for her to see that Elsa was watching her intently.

"Ignore them," Hansele said, hand tightening slightly on her hip as she lead Anna through their next turn.

Anna blinked. "Huh?" Hansele dipped her. Had she been referring to Elsa?

"The muttering," clarified the older princess as they swept across the ballroom floor. "Just ignore them, Anna. We're enjoying ourselves.

In an instant, Anna became aware of the whispers that had risen around them. She'd been concentrating on the music so she could keep in time with her dance partner. She'd imagined that the worst thing that could happen during this dance was for her to trip up with Hansele, but catching some of the comments, Anna found herself re-evaluating that assessment as her cheeks pinked.

Hansele noticed her discomfort and frowned. Anna just ducked her head and tried to focus on her dancing instead of the people around her. She barely noticed when her new friend steered them off of the dance floor and out of the ballroom. "Let's go have some fun on our own," Hansele said once they were in the hallway. "I want to get to know you more."

"Oh, and I grabbed this off a table for you on our way out" She held up a small sandwich and offered it to Anna.

She shoved her anxieties away as she plucked the sandwich from Hansele's hand. "I love sandwiches," she said before taking a bite.

"Me too," Hansele said. She started to walk down the hallway and Anna went with her. Several few servants passed by them or crossed the hall with trays of food and drink, but the corridor was otherwise empty.

Anna found herself simultaneously relaxed and nervous. On the one hand, it was nice to get away from her sister and the party. She'd been enjoying both, but her appreciation of them felt soured in the light of recent happenings. She was fairly certain Elsa's eyes hadn't left her alone for longer than a second or two since she'd left her sister's company, and the scrutiny had begun to make her stomach turn. The gossip of the partygoers had mostly involved snide speculation on Southern Island dance customs and Anna herself. Apparently princesses who'd spend their lives secreted away from the public were expected to be a bit strange upon their reintroduction into proper civilization.

It was good to be away from that. On the other hand, she was walking down a hallway with a really cool older princess who seemed really interested in her. She'd given Anna a very tasty sandwich with smoked sausage on it, and their interactions so far had been almost out of a storybook romance. The nervous part was that she wasn't quite certain what to do with that information, because Hansele was definitely not a prince.

Anna glanced casually sideways and examined the older woman's features briefly. Despite her dapper jacket and short hair, Hansele possessed every bit of regal beauty a princess ought to have. With full lips, a flawless complexion, and the gorgeous eyeshadow, she was almost as beautiful as Elsa. Anna couldn't stop herself from smiling. Elsa was beautifuller.

"So," Hansele started, calling Anna out of her reverie. "It's nice walking with you, but I don't actually know where I'm going and the hallway ends at a fork in a few steps."

"Oh. OH!" Anna blushed. She'd been so distracted that she hadn't realized they'd nearly finished walking down the hallway, which was the same length as the ballroom. The other princess probably thought she was fantastically rude. "Here, you can have the rest." She offered the last third of her sandwich to Hansele, who took it after the slightest hesitation.

"Um, um." They'd reached the fork in the corridor and had stopped walking. Hansele was eating the sandwich and looking at her with amusement. It didn't matter which way they went, because Anna had stuff to show Hansele down each hallway, but she wasn't sure which one would be better. "What sort of stuff did you want to do?" she asked after several hopeless seconds of debate.

"Whatever meant getting to spend time with you." Hansele shrugged and finished the sandwich.

Anna pouted. "That's supremely unhelpful," she said. Inside, however, she wanted to smile so badly her cheeks ached. She couldn't remember the last time someone had said they just wanted to be with her. Elsa certainly hadn't.

Hansele laughed. "Then how about whichever hallway leads to more immediate fun."

Instantly, Anna seized her hand and started off to the right. "There's a room this way where the floors are waxed to a mirror shine. It's the best for sliding in your socks, and I'm dying to get out of my heels for a bit."

"So, what's the most different thing about the Southern Isles from here? From everywhere you've travelled?"

Hansele considered for a moment. "I haven't been here long, but my homeland is much more relaxed. That's probably what makes it different from the rest of the world too. We're very much a people who believe in letting people pursue their own happiness however it pleases them."

"That sounds lovely," Anna breathed. She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Hey, why shut doors on people?" Hansele shrugged, then reached out and tucked a bit of hair behind Anna's other ear. Her gloved fingers lingered near Anna's cheek for a moment, then briefly brushed it with her thumb.

Anna's cheeks colored, and she just nodded in response, then focused a bit more on the garden. It was a perfect summer evening, with a cool breeze stealing the day's residual heat, and she leaned her head against the shoulder beside her. The older woman responded by putting her arm around Anna and pulling her closer. Anna found she didn't mind how Hansele's thumb casually stroked her shoulder. Their bench in the garden was secluded and the view was lovely as they sat in silence together.

Anna sighed happily. They'd spend the evening together in perfection. After sliding through the parlor, she'd shown the older princess some of her favorite spots around the castle. They'd eaten some krumcake, then went to sit on Anna's favorite spot on the roof (well not quite her favorite, but her favorite easily accessible spot) and she was certain they'd seen a shooting star. At one point when she was gesturing, Anna had accidentally hit Hansele in the face, but the other woman had laughed it off. They'd stolen a tray of chocolate together and hidden on a balcony to eat it.

When it sounded like a servant might open the door and catch them, Anna had grabbed Hansele's hand and they'd leapt to the next balcony over and hidden. Crouched together behind the railing, they had clutched at one another's shoulders to conceal giggles as the servant wondered how the tray of chocolates had gotten outside.

When she called over another servant to speculate on how the chocolate had ended up on the balcony, Anna had nearly lost it. She'd held a hand over her mouth until they went back inside, taking the tray with them.

She lowered her hands after the other door shut, grinning widely at her friend on the dimly-lit balcony. Her fight against laughter ended when Hansele winked and popped one last chocolate she'd been holding into Anna's mouth. When she'd recovered from her laughter and finished chewing, they'd made their way to the gardens and walked until Anna remembered that there was a bench in a section off the path, half-hidden by the bushes.

Hansele had seemed confused for a moment, as Anna pulled them into the bushes, but once at the bench, they'd settled into a comfortable conversation, and an eventual comfortable silence.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd spent a couple hours so happy. Maybe that last time she'd built a snowman with Elsa. Her body stiffened slightly as she remembered her sister.

"What's wrong?" Hansele asked, shifting so she could see Anna's face.

She sighed. "I was just thinking about my sister, Elsa. She…" Anna trailed off, but the older woman nodded encouragingly, so she kept going. "Elsa and I used to be really close when we were children. But then, one day, she just shut me out and basically stopped leaving her room. I never knew why."

Hansele's hand on her shoulder shifted and squeezed her arm in sympathy. "I think older siblings can be like that sometimes. I have twelve older brothers and three of them pretended that I was invisible, literally, for two years."

"Wow, twelve brothers? That's a lo—ohgosh I mean, that's horrible. The invisible thing, not the brothers thing, though that didn't seem to have gone too well for you." Anna took a breath to halt her ramble. "I'm sorry," she clarified. "That sounds terrible."

The short-haired woman shrugged with a careless smile. "That's what older siblings do."

"I guess," Anna said, turning so she could see Hansele better, regretting slightly that it meant the other woman couldn't keep her arm around her. Their bench was not especially well-lit, although the full moon provided a decent amount of light. "I just hate being shut out."

Hansele shifted her arm from the younger princess' shoulder as she moved, and then her hand slipped smoothly into Anna's own. "I would never shut you out," she said, squeezing Anna's hand slightly. Then her other hand was cupping Anna's cheek and her face seemed to have become closer. Her eyes were half-closed as Hansele whispered, "Never," and her breath ghosted over Anna's lips the moment before theirs met.

The kiss was slow and gentle. Hansele's lips were soft as they pressed against Anna's, and she found herself leaning in as she tilted her head, her hand alighting thoughtlessly to the other woman's shoulder. Her other hand twitched tighter around Hansele's in surprise as the other princess deepened the kiss slightly, tongue lightly brushing against Anna's lower lip. In response, the gloved hand squeezed her back reassuringly, a thumb rubbing lightly on the base of her palm.

Hansele's hand on her cheek pulled Anna closer for one last press of their lips, then she pulled back.

Anna opened her eyes a half moment later, wishing the kiss had lasted longer. Hansele had pulled her hands back and was gazing deeply into her eyes. "Anna," she breathed.

Anna smiled back as her cheeks pinked. "That's me," she said awkwardly. "The person you just kissed. Not that you didn't know that, but, nevermind. That was, uh, wow. It was really nice." She paused a moment. "So, Hansele… we're, um… you know." She gestured to her chest and instantly regretted it as Hansele's eyes flicked down to her cleavage. "Girls!" she almost shouted, blushing deeper as her friend's gaze seemed to linger a moment before returning to her face.

"I know," replied the older princess. She reached out and held Anna's hand, which was now sweating slightly. "This seems to be an issue in Arendelle, but back in the Southern Isles, it isn't uncommon for members of nobility to engage with lovers of their same sex. Sometimes they become like court advisors. As long as it isn't interfering with something, who's to stop you from being happy?"

"Lovers?" Anna squeaked. An edge of panic pinched Hansele's eyes, but she found herself rambling before the other woman could respond. "Did you want us to, like, go back to the Southern Isles then? But what about Elsa? I can't leave h—"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hansele cut her off, running a hand through her auburn hair. "I didn't mean to rush y—to make assumptions. I was just trying to explain that, where I come from, it isn't that big a deal."

Anna pulled her hand out of Hansele's and fixed a bit of her hair. "I'm sorry, this is just a lot to take in. I haven't really thought about, I don't know, loving girls? all that much. The coronation is just one day, and now you'll have to leave and I don't think I can process all this in a day. What would Elsa think about me with another woman? I want to explore this with you, but—"

"What if I stayed?" Hansele interrupted her again, and Anna bit back momentary irritation. "With the trade negotiation summit tomorrow, I was going to stay in town anyway while my father's men dealt with your sister and the other diplomats, but…" she trailed off.

"You could stay at the castle," Anna offered, heart racing. "We could figure this… thing, um, out. I figure out what to tell Elsa when we know what's going on."

Hansele smiled. "Feelings like this don't come around every lifetime," she said. "Let's see if we can figure us out. I would hate to miss out on a woman like you."

Anna squeezed her hand. "Let's go tell Elsa you're staying at the castle then."


	5. Chapter 5

"Of course, I'm certain your majesty will favor Spain in the trade negotiation summit. Our kingdoms, though far apart, have always been great allies in trade and I hope we will only become closer." The Spanish dignitary smiled charmingly, and Elsa inwardly sighed.

However, she smiled neutrally for her answer. "I look forward to the discussions and bonds all the countries will forge at this week's summit." Elsa had been readying for the trade summit for weeks. The weeklong event was the world's first chance to assess her political and economic acumen. If she proved weak, other countries might be tempted to negotiate with armies instead. All her preparation, however, had not readied her for how often dignitaries seemed to think mild flirting with her would win Arendelle's favor.

The Spanish dignitary winked. Elsa blanched inside. "I look forward to forging strong bonds with you, your Majesty," he said. He paused a moment, then continued, sounding careful. "I would not have normally mentioned this, but I noticed you seemed rather partial to the chocolates this evening. As they are a product of my country, I am flattered by the favor you show toward us and hope that Spain might find a greater market in Arendelle for such delicacies."

Elsa fought down embarrassment that he'd noticed her visit the chocolate platter more than once and reminded herself that, as queen, she was always under observation. It was to be expected, and they were good chocolates so she had nothing to be ashamed of.

"I have actually brought a selection of the newest, finest chocolates from Spain," he continued. "If it would please your Majesty, I would be happy to send them to you so that you might sample one of Spain's finest exports for your consideration in trade." He looked at her consideringly, to see how she'd respond to what was, honestly, a test.

The back of her mind whirled in politics and debated the benefits of accepting the gift versus leaving Spain more uncertain for the trade summit and the various implications. Elsa found it drowned out, however, as the front of her mind lit up with an image of Anna, earlier that evening, and how her eyes had lifted at the smell. Anna would love to have those chocolate.

"I would be pleased to accept such a gift," Elsa said, too quickly to allow herself time to overthink. She wanted to try the chocolates, if she were honest, but she'd love even more to share them with Anna. She could apologize about earlier, and then maybe, just maybe, she'd see her beautiful sister close her eyes in ecstasy if they tasted good enough. She would look at Elsa like she had been earlier, and then—

"—sent to the castle at once." The dignitary nodded and bent to kiss her hand. Elsa panicked slightly—she hadn't realized he was even speaking and then he was touching her glove—and she felt a tickle of front between her fingers, thankfully a moment after he'd let go of her hand.

"Oh, there she is. Elsa!" Anna's voice caused her to turn, and she sensed the Spanish dignitary take his leave.

Anna seemed faintly flushed, but in an attractive sort of way, as she curtsied awkwardly and fumbled to edit her form of address. "I mean… Queen." Beside her stood the woman with short auburn hair she'd seen dancing with Anna earlier. "Me again? Um." Anna wrinkled her nose cutely and gestured toward her taller companion. "May I present Princess Hansele of the Southern Isles."

The foreign princess stepped forward and curtsied. "Your Majesty." She said it respectfully, but a smile seemed to tug at her lips oddly.

Elsa curtsied politely, but said nothing. She did, however, noticed that the room seemed to have quieted slightly. Her eyes flashed to the side at the lowest point of her curtsy, and she composed a mask of queenly calmness as she rose. People were watching.

Anna stepped forward and Elsa noticed that her sister's arm seemed to hang back, as if she were reaching for Princess Hansele's hand. "Hansele and I have been getting to know one another and I wanted to introduce you. It's just crazy, Elsa, we've been laughing and talking all evening, so bizarre, and she's just this incredible person."

Watching her sister's flushed cheeks and wide smile, Elsa wondered for a moment if, had she not upset Anna earlier, an evening like that could have been theirs instead.

"You're so enthusiastic, Anna," Hansele said fondly, moving forward so she was next to Anna. Elsa resisted the urge to step away. Her sister hadn't seemed too close, but she didn't like the other princess within the same distance. "It's wonderful to finally meet Anna's sister," she shifted to address Elsa smoothly. "She's said so much about you. And, as a representative of the Southern Isles, I thought it only appropriate to extend my family's well-wishes for your coronation. Arendelle is blessed to have such a beautiful queen."

Elsa fought down a blush and resisted the urge to sweep a cool wind across her cheeks. "Thank you," she said blandly. "Arendelle is pleased that the Southern Isles has graced us with their friendship." That they'd sent only their youngest royal, the princess, had actually been almost an insult, given how close they Southern Isles were, geographically. And while Elsa hadn't expected more odd flirting from this woman, but she was well-practiced with empty political niceties at this point in the evening.

Anna glanced at Hansele strangely, then turned back to Elsa. "Anyway, we hit it off so well that I invited her to stay at the castle for the rest of the week. She was originally going to stay in town for the trade summit, but we have enough room to house the whole Southern Isles delegation here, and I think it'd be so wonderful to liven up the castle a bit."

"I'm so excited," Hansele said. "This is such a lovely castle, and I know the Southern Isles delegation would love to stay here." She turned and smiled warmly at Anna, a faint pink to her cheeks. "I would love to stay here."

Elsa's thoughts tumbled over one another as her sister and Hansele began to plan just where in the castle they would stay, and what they would do during the trade summit in a frantic back-and-forth. The part of herself still occupied with queenly concerns was upbraiding Anna for not realizing the political implications of so favoring one country right before the trade negotiations. All evening, Elsa had resisted every gift she'd been offered save for Spain's chocolates.

The part of Elsa occupied with her sister felt caught between being happy that her sister seemed to have made a friend and the unsettling dislike she felt for Hansele. She felt uncomfortable around her, and also strangely jealous. If Anna had stayed with her, maybe they could have had a happy evening together. It would have been different, since Elsa had her political obligations, but surely they could have kept on talking and laughing like they had been in the beginning. She had been planning on talking with Anna after she finished her dance, but the other princess had swept her out of the room, and Elsa couldn't help but dislike her for that.

Beyond the concerns of a sister and a queen, fear seized her. More people in the castle meant more eyes on her. She had to be the queen, flawless and always aware of others' eyes. More people in the castle meant her secret might be found out. The added stress of strangers' presences only made it more likely.

Coming back to herself, Elsa cut in, interrupting Anna. "No, no, no. Wait. Slow down." She fought to keep herself calm, but panic still edged in, making her voice harsh. "No one is staying at the castle."

She almost took it back the moment Anna's face shifted from delight to dejection. "Wait, what? But, Elsa…"

"Your Majesty," Hansele cut in, subtly squeezing Anna's hand. "If I may ease your—"

She stepped closer and Elsa immediately stepped back. "N-no, you may not." She grasped for her control and pushed down a literal flurry of emotions. "Anna," she said, stepping diagonally so she moved closer to her sister and away from the Southern Isles princess who was still too close and unsettling. "May I talk to you, please? Alone?" A note of desperate hope crept out, and Elsa wasn't certain if she wanted Anna to have heard it or not.

But… Elsa needed an ally in this. She'd resisted for three years, but she needed someone who knew because she could hardly keep it together through one day of being queen. She needed Anna, because if Anna didn't know, she would just hate Elsa for ruining her plans with Hansele. She needed Anna because, preparing to be queen, she'd spent the last several weeks reviewing all of their father's trade decisions as king. At first, she'd just planned to continue what he'd been doing. That's what had been done since his death.

Reviewing his decisions, however, she'd begun to realize that his choices weren't perfect. His notes confirmed that he knew it too. Learning from his records, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she could make better ones for the future of Arendelle. And if her father's decisions didn't need to be hers, always, then maybe Elsa could even make better choices for her and Anna.

Her sister seemed torn and still hadn't answered Elsa. Her bright blue eyes seemed stormy.

Of course, Elsa could only make the choice to be honest with Anna if her sister deigned to speak with her at all.

Anna's eyes flicked to Hansele for a moment, then back to Elsa.

"Please, Anna," she breathed. She didn't know if her sister could even hear her, but she could feel an icy storm building inside her. If Anna said no, she wasn't sure if she could hold it in.

"Okay." Her sister nodded stiffly. "Let's talk. Alone." Anna turned to Hansele and Elsa envied so badly the smile she gave to the older princess. "I'm sorry, Hansele. We'll be back to the ball soon."

Elsa gave a quiet instruction to the royal handler for the party to continue, more alcohol to be brought out, and livelier music played. She'd already spoken to most of the dignitaries, but a little extra distraction should help mask her absence. Behind her, she heard Princess Hansele tell Anna that she didn't mind, that she was hardly one to get between two sisters, and something else whispered that she couldn't catch.

"Let's go," Anna said, appearing beside her.

Anxiety crept into Elsa's every step and elation sped her heartbeat as they discreetly exited the ballroom together, making a wide loop around the edge so as to be less obvious. Finally, Elsa wasn't going to be beholden to the secrecy anymore. She could let it go, and, hopefully, maybe, Anna would accept her. Desperation curled in her stomach and, as they walked down a hallway. A handful of snowflakes fell on her trailing cape.

Anna had to accept her, because Elsa couldn't imagine living in a world where she didn't.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna's demeanor had been distinctly chilly since leaving the ball, but as they walked down the corridor, both of their strides matching up, Elsa felt her sister relax little by little.

A moment after Anna's shoulders dropped, she asked, "So, where are we talking?"

Elsa bit her lip. She hadn't quite thought that through yet. "The portrait hall?" she half-answered, half-asked.

Anna nodded, and her voice seemed to move a step closer to the happiness Elsa had heard in it earlier. "That sounds good." Elsa knew her sister had spent a good deal of time there in their years apart, which meant it would be a comfortable place for her. She needed her sister to understand how much she wanted this to go well.

They didn't speak again as they turned the corner toward the portrait hall, and she noticed Anna seemed to get a bit jittery with the silence. Nearing the room, Elsa closely studied the girl she was walking next to. Her sister was beautiful in her coronation outfit, though she seemed to have slightly mussed her hairstyle. That added charm though. The colors in her dress set off her freckles perfectly and the whole cut really flattered her figure. Elsa made a mental note to commend whoever had designed Anna's dress.

She was so occupied taking in her sister's appearance that she started to walk into the portrait room without hearing the voices.

Anna seized her gloved hand and yanked her away from the open door. Before Elsa could protest her sister nearly dislocating her shoulder, Anna pressed a fingertip to her lips, then gestured for her to listen. (At least that's what Elsa thought the hand-flipping-by-her-ear meant.)

"—ite the marvelous collection. My brother, the king you know, had mentioned its quality from his visit over a decade ago, but I hadn't anticipated that I would actually like it."

Elsa wrinkled her nose at the Duke of Weselton's voice. Honestly, the current trade agreement with that country had been the decision she'd most questioned in her father's trade records. It was ridiculously disadvantageous for Arendelle and had, unfortunately, persisted unchecked for the last three years.

Anna squeezed her hand briefly and Elsa was surprised to find she hadn't even noticed or minded that her sister hadn't let go of it. She wore a similar expression of distaste as she jerked her head to the side for them to find a new spot to talk.

Nodding, Elsa moved quietly with Anna away from the portrait room, holding back a giggle as her sister playfully edged away while pressed against the wall, mimicking a thief. Anna saw Elsa put her hand to her mouth to hold back her laughter and shot her a wide smile in return. For a moment, Elsa felt her stress vanish. Then they rounded the corner and Elsa tried to think of another place they could talk. The portrait room had been her choice to provide somewhere comfortable for Anna. Where else could they go that would communicate clearly that she wanted this to go well? That she was letting Anna in?

"Well, he sounded quite pleasant, I can't believe you let him dance with me," Anna grumbled, crossing her arms and frowning up at Elsa.

She was distressed to discover that she couldn't tell if Anna was actually angry or just joking. "I'm sorry," she said carefully, "I couldn't think of anything else in the moment." She went with reserved on the chance that Anna was legitimately upset with her.

The way her sister hunched her shoulders, regret flashing across her face, told Elsa that she'd probably guessed wrong. "It's fine," she mumbled.

Several moments passed awkwardly before Anna asked, "So, where are we going to talk now?" A glance revealed that Anna's expression had shifted back to something like the resentment she'd worn when Elsa had first asked if they could speak alone.

Her thoughts raced through the castle for a safe space. "My room," Elsa said instinctively, her mouth coming to the answer before her mind caught up.

She forced herself to look to the side. Anna was staring and had stopped walking. "Inside of it?" her sister asked dumbly after a moment.

Elsa nodded firmly. "Yes."

Anna's face lit up, her cobalt eyes going from shock to happiness, and Elsa knew she'd made the right choice. They gazed at one another warmly for a few seconds before an expression of awkward realization crossed Anna's face.

"Isn't this the wrong way then?"

They eventually made it to Elsa's room without incident. Elsa had insisted that she hadn't gotten lost, she'd just made the decision right when she'd been asked. Anna had teased her and decried the future of Arendelle if the queen couldn't navigate her own castle.

Her sister had fallen silent as they came closer to Elsa's room. Anna seemed to be staring with a clouded, but reverential expression at the closed door with its painted designs.

Elsa unlocked the door and stepped inside. She awkwardly gestured for Anna to come in after several moments when her sister didn't immediately follow.

"I never thought you'd let me in," Anna breathed as she stepped over the threshold, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Elsa said, moving to the corner of her room. "I've… I've been so scared." She sat down on the daybed and wondered where she should start.

Anna sat down beside here. "I'm right here for you, Elsa. You can tell me anything."

Where to start. Magical ice powers? Anna's memory loss?

"I… I have a curse," she said, staring down at her gloved hands. "It's why we were kept apart for so long."

"What? Elsa?" Anna murmured, concern coloring her voice.

"We… we were afraid I would—it would—hurt you." Elsa kept herself talking. If she stopped, she feared she might never be able to finish telling the truth. "I thought that if I tried to control it, that maybe I would get better, that we could spend time together again, but it's getting stronger, especially when I'm stressed, or scared. Since our parents died, nobody else has known, and I—"

"—sa, Elsa!" Anna put a firm hand on her shoulder, and she looked up. She hadn't realized Anna had been saying her name. Her sister's face was etched with concern, but no fear. She seemed relieved that Elsa had looked up.

"You're not alone anymore. I'm right here with you, no matter what." She rubbed her hands along Elsa's shoulder, and it felt wonderful and soothing and right in a hundred ways she hadn't realized she'd missed so much. Wanting more of the feeling, Elsa leaned closer and almost jumped when Anna shifted and wrapped both arms around her shoulders.

"It's okay, Elsa. No matter what this curse is, I don't care." Anna's arms tightened around her, and Elsa fought back tears as she leaned her head against the front of Anna's shoulder and hugged her sister tightly around the waist. How had she lived so long without this? "You're my sister and I will always be right here."

"I'm sorry I hid from you," Elsa whispered against Anna's shoulder. "I didn't want to hurt you… I-I was… I am… so scared that… that…"

Anna held her close and started rubbing her back, though Elsa's cape seemed to be in the way. "It's okay, Elsa. It's okay," she said. She took one hand away from holding Elsa to unfasten her cape and toss the heavy garment away from them before resuming their hug.

Elsa could hardly bring herself to voice the rest of her confession. "Scared that…" Tears rolled down her cheeks and she clutched Anna even closer as she shuddered. "That I'm a monster."

A chill breeze swept through the room and she felt her sister look up, as if she were looking for the source of a draft. Elsa tried to pull the curse back in, but against all her best efforts, snowflakes began to fall around them. She buried her face in Anna's shoulder and clung to her.

A long pause persisted.

"Elsa?" Anna was quiet, but clear. "is this your power?" Far from frightened, she sounded… amazed?

She nodded against Anna's shoulder, her hair starting to come undone. In front of her nose, a handful of snowflakes were collecting on Anna's collarbones.

"Elsa, this is beautiful," Anna whispered. "Something like this can't be a curse." She buried her hands into Elsa's hair, making the braid tumble down, and Elsa felt her pull off the crown.

"This is beautiful, Elsa, and so are you." She heard a clink as Anna set the crown down on the table beside them. "Were you born like this?"

Elsa nodded again. "Yes," she said, voice thick from crying.

Anna gently pressed Elsa's shoulders back until she could look into her eyes. "Then it can't be a curse. It has to be magic." She glanced up at the gently falling snow, which now seemed more calm than sad. "And I think your gift is wonderful."

"You aren't frightened? But… but it could really hurt you. It's more than, than just flurries. It's harsh ice and frost too." And yet, looking at the snow falling lightly on Anna's head, sticking in her strawberry blond hair, she had to admit they looked beautiful in that moment, both her powers and her sister.

Anna smiled and playfully flicked the long bangs hanging in Elsa's face. "I don't understand why this had to be kept a secret for my whole life, but that doesn't even matter. I love you, Elsa." She smiled lopsidedly for a moment, then, as if on a whim, leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Elsa's cheek.

"I love you," she repeated as she pulled back, cheeks slightly pink.

Elsa felt a faint blush collect on her cheeks as the flurry above them stopped. She pushed her bangs back out of her face. It felt nice and she added a touch of frost to make them stay. "I love you too," she said after a too-long pause.

It occurred to Elsa in the moment afterward that she had not explained to Anna how her powers had not always been a secret between them. Her sister thought her powers were beautiful, but she would know they were dangerous and monstrous if she knew how she got her white streak of hair.

Still, she… had to tell her sister. She owed her that honesty after so many years of hiding. Even if it changed her mind about the powers being beautiful."Anna—"

"So is this why Hansele can't stay?"

"Huh?" Elsa blinked. She'd honestly forgotten about the other princess. A petty part of her realized that she'd hoped Anna would have too. "Oh, um, yes. My control isn't the best when there are strangers around, and the trade summit is going to be stressful enough as it is. I would prefer not to have any more people in the castle than necessary."

"I'll be here to support you," Anna said, reaching out and holding her hands.

She felt the urge to take off her gloves and touch her sister's hands with her bare skin, but couldn't work up the courage."Thank you, Anna."

Her sister bit her lip. "And I understand your fears, but… could you please let Hansele stay? Not the whole Southern Isles delegation, but, please, maybe just her?"

Elsa pulled her hands out of Anna's and hugged herself. "Anna, no."

"I'll make sure she stays out of your way," Anna pled, "You won't even notice there's another person in the castle."

She shook her head. "But Anna… just please, you know how afraid I am. Please stop asking?"

Her sister hunched her shoulders "I-I know, Elsa, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but…" Anna sighed and began to sound wistful. "But I want this so badly, Elsa. Just this one request. Aside from being friends with you again, I've never wanted anything else as much."

Curiosity began to eclipse Elsa's stress over the matter, and she tilted her head and, after a pause, placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Why is this so important to you? Help me understand." She smiled and rubbed her sister's shoulder with her thumb.

To her surprise, Anna's freckles disappeared into a deep blush. "J-just because of, um, reasons."

Elsa was about to press further when Anna continued. "It probably sounds really bitchy of me to keep a secret after you've been so honest with me about your powers, and I swear I'm here to help you, but… please? Just for this week?"

A slight blush colored Elsa's cheeks, because the courage to tell Anna how she'd hurt her, nearly killed her, had fled.

"After this week, I promise that I will tell you everything, just…" Anna blushed deeper than Elsa had thought possible and her words tumbled over one another in a rush as she continued. "I don't quite understand it all myself right now, and, and I just need some time."

A flood of guilt drowned out Elsa's dislike for the idea. She'd kept a secret from Anna for thirteen years, and she still hadn't told Anna about her memory loss or the trolls and their frightening prediction for Elsa's future. All Anna wanted was a week, and… it was something that would make her sister happy.

She leaned in and kissed Anna on the cheek, squeezing her shoulder. "Hansele can stay in one of the castle guest rooms for the duration of the trade summit."

Elsa pulled back from the kiss to see Anna look ecstatic. "Thank you so much, Elsa!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as her sister tackled her into the daybed in an enthusiastic hug. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Relaxing into the embrace, Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna. "You're welcome."

"And we'll be different from now on," Anna murmured as she nestled her head down against Elsa's shoulder. Anna's voice and lips tickled against the side of her neck, and she found herself blushing as her sister continued. "No more secrets. We'll be sisters again, and-and I know you're afraid of your powers, but I'll be here to support you now. We'll figure out your powers, because they aren't a curse and I just know that they are good. I will be right here, and when we're together, you don't have to be the Queen of Arendelle. You can just be Elsa, and I will just be Anna."

A cozy silence fell as they lay together on the daybed, and Elsa realized that, in that moment with her crown on the table, her cape on the floor, and her hair loosely braided with her bangs pushed back, she really wasn't the Queen of Arendelle. She was just Elsa, and the girl her arms were wrapped around, lying half on top of her, was just Anna.

It felt wonderful. Addictive.

As if she were too lazy to lift her head to reach Elsa's cheek, Anna smiled against her neck and pressed a lazy kiss there. "I love you, Elsa," she whispered.

Heat burst across Elsa's cheeks. "I have chocolates," she blurted. "Er, will have. Tomorrow."

"Huh?" Anna seemed startled, as if she'd lost track of time. "What are you talking about?" She began to sit herself up, and Elsa bit back disappointment at the loss of contact.

Elsa pushed herself up and leaned against the back of the daybed as she quickly explaining the context of the chocolates. Anna nodded along and, Elsa was pleased to note, seemed to really pay attention to the political implications. She'd need to notice those more in the future.

"So," Elsa continued, "once the trade summit is done for the day tomorrow, do you want to, maybe, eat them with me?" She shrugged awkwardly. "Just sister time, you and me. We can catch up and…" She trailed off, unsure of what idea she was grasping for.

"Just be?" Anna finished, head tilted. She smiled. "I would love to."

They sat together for another long moment, then Anna startled. "Oh, I should probably get back to the ball. Hansele is waiting for me."

"The ball!" Elsa had forgotten all about it. She ran a hand through her bangs and reached for the crown beside her. She couldn't go out looking like this.

Anna reached forward and caught her hand. "Stay here," she said. "I'll talk to Kai and explain that you're exhausted from the day's events. The party should be wrapping up soon anyway, and everyone will be leaving soon." She got up and smiled warmly at Elsa. "Relax and just be yourself for the rest of the night. You don't have to do this alone anymore. I'm here."

Elsa hesitated a moment, then agreed. "Okay. I-I was hoping to get some pleasure reading done tonight anyway."

"Good! You go get that pleasure," Anna said, slightly absently, as she straightened out her dress and tucked her hair behind her ears. Turning back to Elsa, she smiled. "And you should wear your hair like that more often. It looks different, good-different." She paused and gazed at Elsa for another moment before continuing. "It just looks so much more like, like_you_. And you're beautiful."

Elsa smiled. "T-thank you."

"Tomorrow night, I can't wait," Anna said before slipping out the door and shutting it behind her.

Elsa watched the door for several moments before she slipped back down to where she'd been when she and Anna had been lying together. Her sister's head on her shoulder, lips almost against her neck so they brushed whenever Anna spoke, had felt so nice. Elsa closed her eyes and sank back into the moment, imagining the wonderful pressure of Anna's body against hers. She'd been so afraid of human contact for so long, so afraid of hurting Anna especially, that she hadn't been certain how to react once they started touching.

As her anxiety faded, however, the feeling had shifted from foreign to addicting. She could hardly imagine how she'd gone thirteen years without touching Anna. She felt as though she'd lived more in the last half-hour of her sister's company and touch than she had in the past year of endless study and lonely, faulty control.

Elsa stood up and walked over to her mirror. Her bangs looked wild and free pushed back, revealing her face in a way that felt… unashamed. The single braid down her back reminded her of how she'd worn her hair when she was younger, though it had never been so messy then. But she liked the messy now. Pulling the braid forward over her left shoulder, Elsa tilted her head and had to agree with Anna. She looked different. But it was a good different.

Some things still didn't look or feel quite right, like the frumpy coronation dress with its high collar, but she could make wardrobe changes later. Looking in the mirror, Elsa couldn't deny that, in the last half-hour, she'd become undoubtedly and irrevocably more of herself.

She smiled, and the Elsa in the mirror smiled back. Something about her was addicting too.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, when I posted chapter 7 earlier, it was actually chapter 8. I hate this website. Here's the actual chapter 7. Thankfully, there shouldn't be too much out of place if you read 8 instead, but this ought to make more sense.

* * *

The sunlight obnoxiously insisting its presence through her window had woken Anna at some point in the past… hour? The Crown Princess, heir apparent, of Arendelle did not have a need to depart from her bed, however. So she hadn't. Instead, she was half-awake and idly trying to decipher how her life had managed to completely change in the course of one night. Wrapping up the party had taken so long that she hadn't slept much or had a moment for introspection since leaving Elsa's room. With eyes half-lidded as she gazed at the edge of her windowsill, she wasn't certain if she was awake enough yet for introspection.

Two knocks on the door. "Princess Anna?" She was at least awake enough to recognize Gerda's voice.

"Mmmmmn," Anna groaned. "What is it, Gerda?"

"You have a visitor, ma'am. She insists that she has pre-established plans with you, but there's nothing on your sched—"

"Anna, it's me, Hansele. We were going to lunch together, remember?"

Anna bolted upright at the sound of the other princess' voice. "Yes! It's fine, Gerda. I'm, uh, expecting her." But not this early! She wasn't dressed or ready to face the beautiful older woman at all.

"Ah, alright then, your highness. I'll just leave your friend here then." Gerda's voice became quieter, and she said something to Hansele that Anna couldn't hear through the door before her footsteps indicated she was walking away.

Inside the room, Anna was half thankful that she'd managed a bath the previous night and had slept with her hair in braids. It wasn't the most sophisticated hairstyle, but was passable enough for lunch, and she didn't think Hansele would mind too much. A glance at the clock confirmed it was past noon, and Anna cursed quietly. Now that she noticed the time, she realized that the other princess wasn't early at all.

Tossing off her nightgown, Anna had just picked out a light summer dress to wear when the door cracked open. "Anna?" Hansele asked, poking her head inside. "Did you hear me? I asked if I could come in."

Anna squeaked and held the dress in front of her as Hansele turned her head and blushed after taking in the Princess of Arendelle's state of undress. "I'm sorr—"

"Get out! No, come in! Wait, just—" Anna smacked a hand against her forehead as she scuttled behind a changing screen. "I don't care just shut the door!"

She couldn't see the doorway from behind the screen as she started to slip into the dress, but Anna heard the door shut a moment later, and then silence. She assumed Hansele had left to stand outside when the other princess' voice startled her. "I am, ah, sorry about that."

Goosebumps collected down her arms. She'd been attended by handmaidens before, certainly, but she'd never been alone and mostly-naked with someone she'd ever considered in a romantic light. "It's fine, Hansele. Really." Fighting down a blush, Anna examined her reflection in the mirror and straightened out her dress. It was mostly green with summery, egg-yolk-yellow accents. Her hair was a bit messy from sleeping on it, but since it had dried in the braids, they were mostly intact. Anna assured herself that it wouldn't take too long to get ready.

Hansele had only managed to see her briefly after Anna had returned to the ball from Elsa's room, but the other princess had assured her both that she would take care of lunch and that it would be an informal affair.

"That sounds lovely," Anna had said, harried from trying to manage the party's less sober guests. "We can pretend to be people for once."

"Instead of princesses?" Hansele's smile had been full of understanding, a brief respite in the storm of obligations Anna had taken on for Elsa.

Not, of course, Anna smiled to herself in the mirror, that she'd minded one bit. It had been horrid (the Duke of Weselton had become distinctly drunk and tried to dance with her again) but knowing that she was doing it for Elsa had made it almost exciting, in a way. For the first time, possibly ever, she could actually do things to help her sister.

"You know, I'm certain you look fine back there." Hansele's voice called her back to the present. "Why don't you come out so I can see you in that lovely dress." A pause, then a shift in tone. "Of course, neither you nor the dress looked anything less than lovely in the brief glance I had earlier."

Anna watched her reflection go bright red as she tucked a few strands behind her ear. "Just, uh, fixing my hair." Her voice sounded a mite higher than usual. She wasn't certain what the rules were (were there rules?) for women who (courted? pursued?) happened to have kissed the previous night, what they talked about, how they acted around one another. In the mirror, her fingers lifted to brush against her lips. The kiss had been nice. Anna couldn't deny that she wanted to do that again… and maybe again again.

She'd been worried about scaring the other woman off. In courting a man, you weren't supposed to be kissed on aught but your fingertips (gloved, of course) until you both agreed to an exclusive courtship. However, based on Hansele's… suggestive comment, Anna got the sense that the two of them weren't necessarily constrained by the same rules. Pausing a moment to remember Hansele's height difference, Anna stepped into a pair of shoes with a medium heel to help even them out a bit.

Stepping out from behind the changing screen, Anna spun around and enjoyed the feeling of the skirts flying around her legs. "I'm ready to go," she declared, coming to a halt. The soft smile, somewhat surprised, but pleasantly so, on Hansele's faintly blushing face brought a grin to Anna's own. She only consented to wearing dresses that passed her "spin test," which is to say that they looked and felt graceful and fun when she spun around in them. It had previously been entirely for personal enjoyment, but if it meant getting to see smiles like that more often, she decided she may have found another reason for doing so.

"Me too," Hansele said breathlessly, several moments too late. She quickly tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and smiled back at Anna. "I've already picked up a picnic lunch from the kitchens," she said, holding up a picturesque basket. "You have such helpful staff here."

Anna skipped over to Hansele, who was wearing a summer dress unlike the dapper clothing she'd worn yesterday. Anna attempted to deny to herself that the sight of the other woman's bare shoulders and collarbones was attractive, then gave up. "Let's go then." Whatever her (feelings? urges?) thoughts about the other woman, she could figure it out as she went. Impulsively, she looped an arm through the other princess' and pulled open the door.

"Wait, wait," Hansele said, pulling them to a stop. "There's a catch to the picnic."

"Oh?" Anna smiled.

"I've got the lunch, but you need to pick the place." She shrugged helplessly. "We went around quite a bit of the castle last night, but I still don't know enough around here to adequately choose a romantic, isolated picnic location." She smiled. "I thought I'd leave that part up to you, if that isn't too weird."

Anna laughed. "I love weird. And I know just the place, come on!"

"These are some seriously good sandwiches," Hansele said appreciatively.

Anna tilted her head. "Didn't you pick what went in them? I should hope you'd choose good ones."

"Nope." Hansele winked and Anna felt herself smile automatically. "I wanted it to be perfect, so I asked the kitchen staff to make up two of your favorite kind, along with your favorite fruits."

A faint blush heated Anna's cheeks, but nothing the faint mist didn't cool. "You're really sweet, you know that, Hansele?" Impulsively, she leaned over and kissed the other woman on the cheek.

Anna pulled back to see that Hansele was blushing faintly herself, and the smile she wore was soft in a dozen perfect ways. "Not as sweet as you were," she replied before scrunching her nose. "Er, are. I mean, you tasted sweet last night, when we kissed, but that isn't what I mean? Er." The older princess pinched her nose. "Let me go jump off the waterfall now. That was so awkward. Can we pretend that didn't happen?"

"Nope," Anna said, ignoring the pleading look Hansele sent toward her. "That definitely happened, and it's okay because I love awkward." She grinned. "Never be afraid just to be yourself with me, even if the you that yourself is, is awkward." Somewhere, Anna knew her diction teacher was shuddering in horror and didn't know why, but she'd said what she meant, and she knew the other princess wouldn't mind.

Hansele just tilted her head and smiled slightly. "You're something else, Anna," she said at length.

As they fell into a companionable silence, Anna contented herself with the landscape around them. She'd taken Hansele on a rather long trek (but a totally worthwhile one) to the small waterfall at the end of the outbounding wall on the north side of the castle. There was a way Anna had found that led to a place behind the waterfall and, above the clearing, a rock split the water stream in two. Another rock jutted out through the empty space and led to the most amazing view of the fjord. The day was hot, but the waterfall provided a mist that kept them cool as they enjoyed the sight and ate their sandwiches.

Eventually, the silence waned and Hansele began to comment on the ships they could see sailing in and out of the harbor. Anna was delighted to find her companion (her date?) was well-versed in naval conventions and had spent a good deal of time in and around boats. The talk ranged from ships and rigging to places Hansele had travelled (Anna most wanted to visit Corona, where her aunt was queen, but the other princess had assured her it was a bit overrated) and Anna was thoroughly engaged in their conversation, really.

But part of her kept thinking that, as beautiful as the flowing waters were, it would be something else entirely, something lovely, to come out here with Elsa. She wasn't certain what the extent of her sister's powers were, but Anna found Hansele's voice fading as her imagination stole her attention with images of her sister standing, graceful, at the edge of the rock as she flicked her hands to create frozen statues in the falling water.

Then lunch was done, and Hansele was sitting closer than before. The older princess leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Anna's lips, and she experienced an oddly doubled moment. While Anna knew she was kissing the Southern Isles' princess, her imagination had kept moving with the scenario of visiting the waterfall with Elsa, substituting her sister for Hansele through the first moments of the kiss.

Blushing furiously, she pushed against the other woman's shoulders and broke off the kiss abruptly.

"What's wrong Anna?" Hansele asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. "I'm so sorry, I thought you—"

"No! No, you're fine!" Anna flapped a hand desperately to try and make her date's concerns vanish. "I just-a moment! I had an awkward moment in my head. I'm fine now."

Hansele smiled tentatively for a few seconds before grinning. "Well, like you said, it's okay to be yourself, even if the you that you are is awkward." She patted Anna's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it."

The statement did nothing to lessen the flush that permeated Anna's cheeks, but she nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that." Pulling the other princess back toward her, she smiled. "We can, ah, try again though?"

"Absolutely," the other woman whispered as their lips pressed together again.

Anna wrapped her arms around Hansele's neck and focused intently on the kiss as she pushed the imagined scene out of her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

This originally posted as chapter 7 because this website hates me. Hopefully this will make more sense now.

* * *

"Thank you, sir." Smile and nod. "Thank you, madame." Graceful smile. "Thank you, sir. I look forward to our continued negotiations tomorrow." Elsa smiled politely as she said goodbye to various foreign diplomats and economic advisors. As the last in the line left, she turned and briefly surveyed the meeting room in which she had spent the majority of her day. Aside from her own advisors, who wanted to have a debriefing meeting before she left to prepare for the night's dinner party, only the group from Spain remained. The diplomat who had flirted with her the previous night, the Spanish ambassador, was chatting good-naturedly to his companions as he packed up his papers.

A body moved past Elsa, close enough to startle her. "Pardon me, your Majesty," one of Spanish aides said as she walked back into the meeting room. She had been, if Elsa recalled correctly, one of the first to exit the room, separately from her party. The package she carried in her hands seemed to suggest itself as the reason for her return as she handed it to the Spanish ambassador, who grinned and thanked her.

Elsa observed all of this because it was necessary for a queen to be aware of these things. But she was mostly marvelling at herself. A stranger had just walked by—almost touching her—and she hadn't lost control at all. In fact, even though the meeting was fairly stressful, she hadn't had any scares with her powers. She'd wanted to generate a dozen nice, slushy snowballs to throw at certain of the Trade Summit's attendees, but that had been a humorous, distracting image, not a danger.

Granted, during every spare moment when her thoughts hadn't been focused on the conference, she'd been basking in memories of how wonderful it was to be held by and just be with Anna the night before.

"Your Majesty, if I might take a moment of your time before my departure?" The Spanish ambassador bowed lightly—a full bow wasn't necessary given that they'd spent the day in conference—and held out a beautifully handcrafted wooden box.

"You may," Elsa said. "And I suppose these are the chocolates?" If they tasted anywhere near as lovely as the box looked, she was anticipating her time with Anna this evening even more, if such a thing were possible.

He set it in her hands. "Of course. Of each kind within there are five pieces. I understand your food must be checked for poisons first, but that is no reason to deny an equal amount of each chocolate for both you and whichever lucky person you deign to share such pleasure with."

Elsa steeled herself through the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks—she was sharing them with her sister—and forced herself through a gracious thank you. She even managed to almost smile as he kissed her gloved fingertips in the way Spaniards seemed to do with everyone.

Once they were gone, she called for Kai and sent the chocolates off to be checked before being delivered to her room, although she highly doubted they contained any poison. As she returned her focus to the debriefing meeting with her economic advisors, Elsa's thoughts skipped forward to her sister with every breath. For years, she had gone days, sometimes weeks, and once a month, without seeing her sister.

As she discussed Arendelle's trade possibilities, Elsa didn't want to go one more minute.

The box of chocolates had been placed in her room by the time her meeting was over. She opened it for a moment to take a deep breath and, for a moment, felt drunk off the rich smell alone. Elsa could practically taste them. She and Anna was going to love them.

As she changed into another dress for the royal families' dinner and checked her hair, which was back in its tame bun, she fought down a bit of nervousness. She hadn't seen her sister all day—Gerda informed her that the crown princess had been quite tired from closing the party and was sleeping late—but that didn't mean anything had changed. Anna said she loved her and would be there to support her. They'd also made plans to eat chocolate, and she doubted her sister would miss that.

Still, although thoughts of Anna's acceptance, her love and her smile and her arms holding Elsa close, had made her smile all day Elsa found herself clenching snowflakes down from her fingertips as she pulled on her gloves for dinner.

What was a day—just an evening really—against thirteen years of alienation? Anna was the most wonderful person in the world, but Elsa wasn't sure how plausible her sister's love was against those odds.

Before she fully realized it, she was walking down the hall to Anna's room. It was a different one than the room in which they'd live together before the separation. Her mother had said, around when Anna was eight, that her sister had requested a new one because she didn't think Elsa was ever going to come back to her and she didn't want to live there alone.

The thought made a snowflake land on her nose and she tried to push it out of mind as she stopped in front of her sister's door. Elsa raised her fist to knock, then paused. How many times had Anna done this? Elsa had counted for a few months, but lost track after a while. And she'd never opened the door for her, not once.

Steeling herself, Elsa knocked with the same pattern her little sister had always used. "Anna? It's me." She paused a moment. "Er, Elsa. It's Elsa." She'd never knocked on Anna's door before. Who was she to assume that her sister would recognize her voice through the door?

She waited several seconds, but no answer came, and the doorknob did not turn. Silence seemed to emanate from her sister's door in an almost aggressive fashion.

Elsa knew that Anna might have already gone down to dinner, or she might just not be in her room for some other reason. She could be doing any number of things, but she could also just be ignoring her. Sitting in her room, alone, no longer even bothering to tell her sister to go away.

A handful of snowflakes fluttered down in front of Elsa's nose. How many times had Anna knocked on her door and stood with no answer?

"Elsa?"

She whipped her head around. Anna had just rounded the corner and was smiling at her. "I know I'm running late for the dinner party thing, I'm so sorry!" She swept past Elsa and through her door in a whirlwind. There seemed to be a few blades of grass stuck in her hair and to the back of her dress. "Thanks for coming to get me though. It's so great to see you!"

Anna pulled out the dress set aside for the dinner, then looked back at the doorway. "Um, you can come in, Elsa?" She paused, then hurriedly added, "Not that you have to? Just, if you aren't, please shut the door because I kind of need to change?"

Around Elsa, the tiny flurry had dissipated, though she wasn't sure if it was because she was so happy to see her sister or if she was just too surprised to make snow. Blushing slightly, she stepped inside and shut the door. "Sorry," she said. "I just got a little distracted for a moment."

Anna vanished behind her changing screen as she replied. "That's fine. You weren't waiting on me long, were you?" Her sister's sundress flopped itself over the top of the screen.

"Not at all," she murmured, internally cringing. Anna had waited on her for thirteen years and Elsa had hardly been able to stand thirteen seconds with the bare possibility that Anna was willfully ignoring her from behind her door.

"Good, good." Anna paused, and then she stuck her head and bare, freckled shoulders out and smiled. "This… I just kind of rushed in and I know this is different and weird for us… but it's a good different. I know the summit has you busy and things are complicated, but we're gonna work this out." Her sister's smile summoned a matching one to Elsa's lips.

"I like this different," Elsa said. She absolutely didn't deserve Anna. But if she was the one making that freckled face smile so widely, as if there was nothing she wanted more in the world than to just be Elsa's sister… Then she would just have to do all she could to be the sister Anna deserved.

Anna vanished back behind the screen and the sounds of her putting on her dress filled the room for a moment. The shift of fabric on fabric and her sister's small sounds of frustration with the garment sounded strange to Elsa's ears. There was something oddly pleasant about it and she couldn't figure out what.

"So… no magical ice-power mishaps I take it? No pushy diplomats frozen to their chairs?" Anna asked. She made the questions sound as normal as asking after the weather as she stepped out from behind the screen in the dress.

Elsa made a mental note to commend whoever it was designing her sister's clothing. She wasn't as formal as she'd been for the coronation, but Anna looked gorgeous. It took her a moment to remember the question she'd been asked. "Oh, um, no. No incidents."

"That's great! Do I look ready for dinner? We aren't going to be too late, are we?" Anna spun around for Elsa to take a look and she saw there were still a few blades of grass stuck in her hair.

"I'm the queen, so they literally can't start dinner without me," Elsa commented dryly. "And you look fine, Anna, but there's some grass in the back of your hair."

"Would you mind getting it?" Anna asked. Before Elsa could answer, her sister had walked over and was facing away from her.

"Of course," she said, plucking the green strands out of the red locks. She hadn't touched Anna's hair since they were children. "How did you get grass in your hair anyway?"

The freckled shoulders in front of her jumped a bit. "Oh, um, Hansele and I were wandering the gardens again and we watched clouds for a bit while lying in the grass. I thought I got most of it off."

"Well it's all off now," Elsa said. She pushed down some sadness. She and Anna had cloudgazed as kids and her sister had always made up the best stories to go along with each character she saw. "We'd best get to dinner now."

Sitting at the head of the table in the medium dining hall, Elsa resisted the urge to curse. This dinner was for those of (sufficiently) royal blood. An extended network of further and further related cousins were seated for the meal. This group included the Duke of Weselton, whose older brother was the king, Princess Hansele from the Kingdom of the Southern Isles, the crown princess and prince consort of Corona, and several other visitors of varying lower births.

Elsa wouldn't have liked it on any given day, but she felt particularly cross at the moment because she'd forgotten the state of the seating plan. When it had briefly crossed her desk several weeks ago, the fact that Anna was seated at the exact opposite end of the table had been fine, preferable even.

But things had changed and now it was not.

By some luck, Anna had been seated next to her friend, the Southern Isles' princess, and Elsa found herself increasingly distracted by how happy and natural their interactions seemed. Her sister was just so happy, a faint blush coloring her cheeks that made her smile seem even brighter.

"Your Majesty? Queen Elsa?"

She yanked her attention back to her own end of the table. "I'm sorry," she said, "What was that? I'm afraid I was slightly distracted."

"That's fine," said the woman with short brown hair beside her. The place of honor at Elsa's right hand had been afforded to Corona's crown princess, Rapunzel. "I was just trying to apologize, actually."

Elsa tilted her head, honestly lost. "For what?"

"For not greeting you at the party last night," the princess admitted. "As the royal representative of Corona, that was already rude of me, but we're also, you know, actually cousins. Your mum and all." She smiled awkwardly and Elsa was reminded of Anna. "It's just that Eugene and I," she gestured to her husband, sitting next to her. "We really like to dance and got a bit caught up with it. By the time I remembered I ought to greet you, you had already retired for the evening."

She took a deep breath. "Anyway, I just wanted to apologize to you."

In all honesty, Elsa hadn't even noticed Corona's absence in her line of people to greet from the previous night. And while this could be taken as a political slight, or some sort of subtle insult, Elsa didn't think the innocent young woman beside her had it within herself to do something so manipulative.

She smiled. "All is forgiven, cousin. No offense was taken, I promise you." Something about Rapunzel reminded her of Anna, and her smile felt more real because of it.

Relief crossed the other woman's face. "That's wonderful," she said.

"Told you it would be fine, blondie," said the man on the other side from Rapunzel, Eugene, her husband.

Rapunzel's hair was distinctly brown, but Elsa didn't puzzle over it as the couple began to rib at one another good-naturedly.

Her focus shifted down the table, and she saw Anna looking at her and smile when she noticed Elsa's attention. She smiled back, but felt the expression sour slightly as she noticed Hansele steal Anna's attention. Her sister, however, seemed to smile just as broadly toward her friend as she did Elsa.

She would talk to the social events mistress and have future seating plans changed for the handful of other state dinners she would have to host during the Trade Summit. She would make sure Hansele stayed close to Anna, because her sister deserved to have friends and Elsa refused to isolate her again, but she would also seat Anna next to herself. That would make all of them happy.

Returning her attentions to Eugene and Rapunzel's conversation, Elsa reengaged herself in their company for the rest of dinner and found them not unpleasant. She glanced down the table to keep tabs on Anna and Hansele and looked back to see a serious expression on Rapunzel's face. The brunette girl glanced down the table at Elsa's sister and her friend, then back. With a quiet, serious voice, she said, "That woman your sister is talking to, Hansele, have they become friends?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. She didn't particularly like the princess from the Southern Isles, based on her limited interactions with her, but she wouldn't let anything happen to someone who made her sister happy.

Corona's princess leaned forward, and Elsa noticed Eugene glance down the table with distaste. "I would really like to meet with you in private," Rapunzel said, voice urgent. "It's about the Southern Isles' princess." Elsa didn't have much experience reading people, but the short-haired brunette in front of her didn't seem to be hiding some sort of hidden motive as far as she could tell.

"What about her?" Elsa asked neutrally.

"She is not what she seems," the princess whispered, "and Anna may be in danger."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I just imported everything. I'm not fond of the interface, but I understand that it's easier for a lot of people to follow me here, so I'll be posting here as well.

Chapter 9 should go up tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

Anna tilted her head upward to push further into the kiss. Hansele wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled their bodies closer together. She could feel their chests press together and blushed as she leaned her head farther to one side, following the older princess' lead as they deepened the kiss. Anna hoped she wasn't completely botching the whole tongue-thing as Hansele shifted a hand to her hair and pulled her closer.

Then the other woman nipped lightly on her lower lip and Anna squeaked, jumping slightly. She could feel Hansele smile against her lips as she barely pulled back to whisper, "Was that okay, Princess?"

Heat flooded her cheeks as she caught her breath to respond. "Y-yes. I, um, I liked that, yes."

The princess of the Southern Isles just gave her a quick peck on the lips before resuming their more intimate kisses that set Anna's head spinning. She imitated the other woman's motion, pulling her closer to bite lightly on one lip. As Hansele's hand in her hair tightened, pulling slightly, Anna shivered and was about to open the her lips more when the castle clock struck the 10th evening hour, much louder than she was used to.

Pulling back to cover her ears and suddenly second-guessing the decision to kiss inside the clocktower, Anna's eyes widened as she remembered what she'd arranged. "Elsa!" she yelped.

After dinner, her sister had been occupied with guests, but they'd spoken briefly to arrange a time to meet in Elsa's room. Since the queen would be occupied until then, Anna had slipped out and taken a walk after dinner with Hansele. They'd wandered the gardens again, taking a different route, when Anna decided to show the other woman the clocktower. It was a mechanical marvel, and they'd been admiring the gears in the privacy of the interior when Hansele had interrupted a bout of Anna's babbling with a soft, enticing kiss. At some point in the time since then, she'd completely lost track of how much had passed.

She was supposed to meet Elsa at her room at ten.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Hansele asked, rubbing at her ears as the ringing faded.

She started moving toward the exit as she answered. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go meet my sister now."

Following her, the older princess sounded confused, but Anna didn't turn around to see as she navigated the narrow stairway down from the clocktower. "I thought you two didn't really talk. Did something happen last night when you went to speak with her in private?"

"Uh, yes, but that's not about tonight?" Anna fumbled a bit with the door before she burst into the garden. What if Elsa thought she wasn't coming? She started a slight jog. "I'm so sorry, Hansele," she called back, "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, I swear. I actually kind of have an idea we could do but I have a meeting in the morning."

"Wait, Anna! Just a moment!"

She stopped and turned around as the other princess caught up. "I have to go, Hansele. Elsa is waiting for me!"

Her voice sounded almost desperate, and she paused to reconsider her own town. Her (date? friend?) companion tilted her head at the tone as well. "Okay, Anna. I just..." she rubbed the back of her head. "I just don't want to miss a single moment I could spend with you. I... I'm sorry."

For a moment, her heart felt torn. She'd been having fun, a lot of fun, with Hansele... but she'd told Elsa she'd be there, and now that the door was open, Anna was never letting it close again, ever. "No apologies," she said, glancing around quickly to make certain they were alone before planting a brief kiss on the other woman's lips. "Meet me at the stables after lunch in riding gear tomorrow," she said as they pulled apart.

She was already running back to the castle when the other woman replied, "I can't wait." Anna almost didn't hear her, but the response, however faint, was enough to bring a smile to her lips as she rushed to her sister.

Anna almost threw open the painted door, but thought better of it at the last minute. She was almost ten minutes late. Elsa might not even be expecting her to show up anymore. After a second of hesitation, she knocked with the same pattern she'd used as a child.

"Elsa?"

From the other side of the door, she heard a shuffling sound, as if someone were getting up off the floor, and felt the door itself creak slightly, as if... Elsa had been leaning on it, then removed her weight. Before Anna had time to process whether or not her sister had just been sitting with her back against the door, waiting for her (good thing Anna hadn't tried to just throw the door open!), her sister's face appeared in the doorway.

"Anna?" Elsa seemed heart-breakingly cautious, as if she didn't quite believe that Anna was standing there, right outside.

"Hey." She smiled and gave a little wave. "I'm here now." She'd anticipated her apologies and excuses tumbling out in an awkward babble, but faced with her sister's slow-growing smile, she found herself quiet.

Elsa stepped back from the doorway. For a moment, Anna's gut clenched and she thought her sister was about to shut the door again. "I thought you'd changed your mind," she said instead, opening it so Anna could step inside.

"No!" she nearly shouted and Elsa winced. "Never," she added, much quieter, as she walked into her sister's room.

As Elsa turned to walk across the room toward the daybed and Anna noticed that her sister's bun from dinner had been undone and a loose braid hung down her back. "Can I ask, um, what... what kept you?" Her sister's voice was barely audible as Anna shut the door behind her.

The room wasn't especially well lit—the lighting was almost romantically low—but Anna was certain that, had her sister looked back, she would have seen a bright scarlet flush across her cheeks. "I, ah, lost track of time with Hansele after dinner," she mumbled after a moment. Elsa sat down on the daybed; sitting beside her, Anna continued. "I didn't even realize how late it was until the clocktower struck the hour."

After a torturous moment of silence, Anna chanced a glance at her sister who was frowning. "I'm really sorry," she added.

Elsa's frown lightened immediately, and an expression more akin to concern (and... curiosity?) took its place. "Does spending time with Hansele make you... happy?"

Anna blinked. "Huh? Yeah." She'd been expecting some sort of confrontation, or to find out that, somehow, Elsa knew just what she was getting up to with the other princess. Her lips tingled as she recalled their kisses from the clocktower and she had to strongly resist the urge to touch them.

"Then I'm happy that you are happy," Elsa said, perhaps a bit firmly. "But... did you want to eat some chocolates?"

"Yes!" Anna practically bounced as she agreed, gleefully accepting the change of topic.

Elsa ran a hand through her pushed-back bangs (a nervous habit?) and picked up a beautifully crafted wooden box. "These are from the Spanish ambassador. A, ahem, gift to try and sway me to be more charitable to Spain's trading proposals."

"What kinds of chocolates are there?"

Her sister opened the box, releasing a delicious, rich scent into the room. Anna breathed deeply as Elsa pulled out a list. "Let's see," she began to read "There are some dark chocolate almond turrons, chocolate caramels with mediterranean sea salt, chocolate with chile from the new world, milk chocolate strawberry preserves, and..." Elsa tilted her head. "Cherry liqueur chocolates."

Anna sat up a little straighter. "Oooh, let's try those first!"

The queen hesitated a moment, and Anna stuck out her lower lip in a pout. A smile rolled through Elsa's lips, slowly lifting her cheeks in a happy grin. "Fine. I suppose the alcohol doesn't especially matter. We both had wine at dinner in any case."

She knew she was staring, but Anna couldn't quite stop herself. Elsa's transition from caution to light-heartedness had looked so wonderful, so fitting. "Why don't you try it first," she managed. She hadn't seen her sister this happy since... well, forever. As lovely as the chocolates smelled, Anna would have happily let Elsa eat the whole box if it meant the absence of her former anxiety and fear.

"Me?" Elsa seemed somewhat surprised. "All right then." She lifted one of the cherry liqueur chocolates to her lips and turned it around, admiring the beautifully decorated coating. Her full lips parted and her eyes half-closed as she took a delicate bite.

Immediately, a spurt of cherry juice dribbled down Elsa's chin.

She and Anna blinked at one another as a blush nearly as red as the cherry juice burst across Elsa's cheeks. Anna burst out laughing as her sister quickly shoved the rest of the candy into her mouth to avoid further disasters. "Oh gods above, Elsa, that was... You just looked so graceful for that moment. And then you didn't and, and—"

A balled up something hit her in the face. Anna picked up a cloth napkin from her lap and looked up to see Elsa appeared as surprised as she was by her action, her hand still partially raised from throwing the napkin. A flash of fear struck through her expression, and Anna immediately smiled. "Well aren't you a stinker," she said, keeping her tone as jovial as possible.

She picked up the napkin and reached over. Elsa flinched slightly as her hand approached, but did nothing but blush more cutely as Anna wiped the cherry juice away from the corner of her lips and where it had dribbled down her chin. Focused on her sister's lips, Anna felt a faint blush color her cheeks. She'd intended the action to be reassuring for Elsa, to tell her sister that throwing napkins at one another in a fit of teasing was okay.

Honestly, however, Anna had spent years dreaming of just a simple moment like this. She just hadn't quite anticipated how similar her time with Elsa would feel to the time she'd been spending with Hansele. The odd, fluttery feeling in her stomach was not dissimilar to how her heart seemed to speed up around the older woman.

"Aren't you going to eat one?" Elsa almost whispered, her cheeks still pink.

Anna realized she was still holding the napkin to her sister's face and yanked her hand back. "Of course, of course!" She plucked one of the chocolate-coated cherries from the box and tried to eat it a little more neatly than Elsa had.

The chocolate flavor was strong, mixing well with the cherry. The bite of the alcohol reminded Anna of some brandy she snuck out of the kitchen once. Then a wet feeling at the corner of her mouth coupled with a giggle from Elsa told her that a bit of cherry juice had made it onto her face anyway.

"Here, I'll get it." Elsa reached over and, hand hesitating a moment before she took the napkin from Anna, wiped the offending liquid from her lips.

"I guess this is how we know we're related, huh," Anna said with a smile.

Elsa shrugged and smiled back shyly. "I guess so."

The moment felt comfortable and so entirely normal, Anna wondered for a moment if she were dreaming. Because she had literally dreamed of times like this with her sister. She would do anything to keep things this way.

"You, uh, you can talk about anything with me, you know," Anna blurted out, taking a different chocolate to eat. "About, about parent stuff or about your powers or whatever you want. Your hair, dresses or shoes. Anything, really." She paused her rambling a moment, but couldn't keep her last thought from pushing out. "Though we should probably actually talk about the whole magical ice powers thing at some point."

Strain crossed Elsa's face, and Anna immediately wondered if she'd pushed too far. "I... yes. We should. But..." Elsa's gaze wandered as she fiddled with some chocolate. "Not tonight? Can we... just for tonight... just be like this?"

Anna nodded. "Of course."

Elsa's relief was palpable as they resumed eating chocolates. Anna hadn't noticed the temperature of the room dropping until the chill disappeared.

They discussed the summit and Arendelle's trade goals, which now included a luxury delicacies contract with Spain. Anna managed to coax Elsa into confessing that she'd written a good deal of poetry during their time apart, though she failed to elicit a promise to be shown any of these works. Bitter chocolates being more to Anna's preference, she was pleased to discover that her sister tended toward sweeter ones. It was wonderful because it meant two very important things. First, she was learning more about her sister and that was a normal, exciting, and wonderful feeling. Second, they could easily split the selection of chocolates between them and have more of their favorites to themselves. Hopefully, it also meant they would split plenty of chocolate piles in the future.

Anna had picked up another piece of chocolate to eat when the subject turned to the castle and the places she'd been showing Hansele. Despite her own interest in the subject (about which she was admittedly rambling) she didn't miss the way her sister's eyes seemed to narrow at the mention of the other princess. Curiously, however, Elsa seemed genuinely interested in all the small silly things about the castle.

She was in the middle of telling her enraptured, but also concerned-looking, sister about her favorite spots on the roof when she realized that Elsa probably wasn't as familiar with the castle as she was because of all the time spent in her room. As she tried to describe the view of the fjord, she silently vowed to show Elsa everything as soon as the trade summit was over and her sister's schedule was more open.

She hadn't realized she was still holding the chocolate until she made a gesture and noticed that her hand felt oddly sticky.

Elsa laughed lightly at her as she ate the slightly-melty chocolate, and Anna couldn't help but smile. Elsa laughing, even at her, was the most melodic sound she'd ever heard. She started to lick the remaining chocolate off of her fingers and her sister immediately stopped.

"Oh, Anna, don't do that," she said, eyebrows tight with disapproval.

Anna rolled her eyes. "It's fantastic chocolate. I'm not letting it go to waste." She put two of her fingers in her mouth and moaned lightly as she sucked the chocolate off to prove her point. "It's just so good, Elsa."

When her sister didn't reply, she looked over to see Elsa staring, her cheeks flushed. As the potential eroticism of her actions occurred to her, Anna felt a blush overtaking her own cheeks and stammered, "A-anyway why hasn't that happened to you. You've been holding onto them the same as me."

Elsa blinked. "Oh, I-I think that's because of my powers." She held up a gloved hand. "I tend to be cool, and so my gloves tend to be fairly cool as well."

"Oh, yeah, the gloves." Anna glanced down at them. "I kind of wondered... do you wear them because you have a thing about dirt, or..." She looked back up into Elsa's eyes, which seemed suddenly anxious. Her voice softened. "Do they have to do with your powers?"

Looking away, Elsa murmured, "My powers, mostly. Father gave them to me because they help keep things under control." She smiled slightly and her eyes flicked back to Anna's own. "But I'm not especially fond of dirt either."

On an impulse, Anna plucked a chocolate from the box and fed it to Elsa. Her sister opened her mouth to take it mostly out of surprise, eyes widening as Anna's fingertips brushed against her lips. They stared at one another a moment before matching blushes splashed across their cheeks.

"Sorry!" Anna squeaked as she yanked her hand back. "I-I just thought that I would give you one so you wouldn't have to get dirty picking it up? But that didn't make sense it was just an impulse and I—"

A handful of snowflakes fell. Anna immediately stopped her ramble and looked up in wonder. Several landed on her nose and cheeks and seemed to chill away her embarrassment.

Elsa, on the other hand, seemed to only get more embarrassed as they sat under the light snowfall.

"You're amazing," Anna whispered. Her sister's eyes met hers, anxiety meeting acceptance, and Anna smiled wider. "We don't have to talk about anything right now, but I would love to see some more of what you can do with your magic."

"W-why?" Elsa barely moved her lips as she spoke, but her gaze was intense and direct.

Anna tilted her head. "Because... because this is a part of you, and there isn't a piece of you that I don't long to know with all my heart." She leaned over and pulled Elsa into a tight hug. "You're my sister, and I love you."

The snow intensified for a moment before stopping entirely. Within her embrace, Anna felt her sister perk up. "It's strange, Anna," she said, "but I've felt so much more in control since yesterday night..."

Pulling back to arms' length to see her, Anna squeezed her sister's shoulders. "Do you think talking about things helped?"

Elsa nodded. "I... am no longer quite as afraid." She tugged nervously on her gloves for a moment. "It's so soothing to know that, that you still love me. Despite the curse."

"Magic," Anna corrected. "Powers. Amazing fantastic Elsa thing. I don't care what we call it but it isn't a curse." She reached down and hesitated a moment before taking her sister's gloved hands in her own, just in case Elsa wanted to pull them away. "But you just wanted tonight for being sisters and eating chocolate. Do you want to talk about power things tomorrow evening?" She winked. "We could even request another box of chocolate from the kitchen. You are the queen after all."

After a moment of hesitation, Elsa smiled. "I suppose I am. I'll arrange for such a treat to be delivered to my room then. Same time?"

Anna nodded and picked up another chocolate. "That sounds good. Tomorrow: we discuss magic." She popped the candy into her mouth and fought back the desire to moan as it melted on her tongue. "Tonight: we eat magical chocolate and you tell me what you thought of that Evelina novel you had Gerda fetch for you last spring. I read it after you were done and have been dying to have someone to talk to about it."

* * *

Trufax: I actually hate chocolate and the reason this chapter was so delayed is because I was stuck on the strugglebus with that last scene.

Next chapter comes in a few days. Let me know what you think so far.


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